14 Facebook Etiquette Rules You Should Never Break

Facebook is a glorious thing. It helps you connect with friends you haven't seen in years, keep up with your favorite brands (ahem), and quietly stalk your high school ex.

But it also sets the stage for annoying people to be even. more. annoying (seriously—here are the most annoying types of people on Facebook). Like the friend who posts every 5 minutes to broadcast exactly what she's doing. Or the cousin who never fails to post the one photo from the family reunion that caught you midsneeze.

And while we've all been guilty of committing Facebook faux pas at some point, there's no reason to make a habit of it. Here are the 14 most annoying social media moves you'll want to avoid. (Looking to lose a little weight? Sign up to get FREE weight loss tips and more delivered straight to your inbox!)

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Using your personal Facebook to self-promote

Did you just start a business or take up a side-gig selling the hottest new skin-care line? Good for you! But even though some of your Facebook friends might be happy for you, they don't want to see posts about your new business all day, every day. So do them a favor and once you've initially announced your exciting new venture, set up a private page for all things work-related. Invite your friends who might be interested, and they can support you through your dedicated page.

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Obsessively posting about your child

You love your kid. Your kid is a perfect, beautiful bundle of joy. So it might surprise you to learn that none of your Facebook friends love your kid nearly as much as you do. And they don't want to get constant updates about the adorable thing your kid said, did, or...ahem...pooped (even if they're as fascinated as you are by these 7 things your poop says about you).

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Tagging friends in unflattering photos

Sure, you might look great in that group photo from your niece's graduation, but everyone else just looks like they've been sitting outside in a stadium for 3 hours on a windy day. So have a heart and post a picture where everyone else looks a little less windblown, even if it means you're not quite so glamorous.

You know the post: "Wow, [Insert Title Of Big Fancy Company] must have made a huge clerical error—they decided to hire me as CEO! What were they thinking?!" Or, "Ugh, jet lag from our Hawaiian vacation is the worst. Awake at 3 AM :(." We have four words for you: Don't be that person. Sure, your close family and friends will be thrilled to hear all about your new job and your perfect vacation, but that's what phone calls and emails are for. The other 200 people you're friends with on Facebook don't care—and all you're doing by posting these kinds of statuses is trying to make them jealous. That's just not classy.

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Using Facebook as an instant messenger

Facebook might be on your phone, but it's not meant to replace texting. So posting a status on your BFF Jill's page to say, "Hey, are we meeting at Starbucks? I'm running 5 minutes late," is completely unnecessary, and just creates clutter. (If you're not using these 11 Facebook features, you're missing out.)

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Posting pictures of other people's kids without permission

It doesn't matter if you got the perfect shot of Johnny's chubby little cheeks puffed up, seconds away from blowing out his birthday candles. If Johnny isn't your kid, don't post the picture without making sure it's OK with his parents. Some people just don't like their offspring's cute mugs posted on social media for the whole world to see and judge, and it's important to respect that.

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Pulling everyone into your game obsession

I LOVE Candy Crush. It's gotten me through many a boring subway ride. But that doesn't mean I want to play it on Facebook with you. Just like I don't want to help you tend to your farm or run the perfect imaginary diner. So please stop incessantly sending game requests. If I don't respond to the first one, it's safe to say I'm not going to respond to the next 37.

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9 of 15

Taking "Status" literally

Did you just eat a banana? Get in a good workout? Going to the mall? That's wonderful, really, but please don't post it on Facebook. Despite the word's literal meaning, no one really wants to know your "status" at all times of the day. Save your occasional updates for something you think people will find funny or entertaining, or that will make them think. (These 3 posts will get you unfriended on Facebook.)

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Bashing an ex

We get it—your ex broke your heart. And you have every right to some deep verbal bashing, but do it in private. Posting a status about every way your ex ever did you wrong just makes you seem bitter and sad. It forces your 200+ Facebook friends to join in on your relationship problems, and could actually cause some incredibly awkward moments if the two of you have kids or mutual friends. So leave the ranting for a Saturday night on your friend's couch with fuzzy pajamas and a pint of ice cream (and whatever you do, never make these 7 social media mistakes when you're going through a breakup).

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Broadcasting your friends' problems

Pop quiz! You just found the perfect article for Suzy down the street, who's been having a lot of problems with her soon-to-be ex-husband. You: (1) post the article to her Facebook wall or (2) send it to her in a private message?

While the best answer is probably (3) don't send it (Suzy likely doesn't want you meddling in her divorce), the absolute worst thing you could do is post it on her public wall. Think about it: If you were going through a divorce, would you really want a well-meaning friend to post an article titled "How To Get Through A Messy Divorce" on your Facebook? Yeah, we didn't think so. (BTW, never ever say these 10 things to someone going through divorce.)

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Linking every social media account you have to Facebook

Simply put, if people wanted to see every time you tweeted or pinned something, they'd follow you on Twitter and Pinterest.

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Ranting about politics

In case you haven't noticed, politics are particularly controversial as of late. And if you're on Facebook, chances are you've come across several (or several dozen) angry, ranting posts for or against one politician or another. And that could be a great thing! If, of course, all of those posts boiled down to a rational discussion of the merits or downfalls of the candidates. But we're willing to bet that many of them are just hateful. In that case, they serve no other purpose than to rile people up. Why would you want to add to that?

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Begging for attention

Does any of this sound familiar? "Love when the day starts out with a promising email. Fingers crossed!" "Starting to wonder if it's all worth it." "Ugh. I am DONE with dating." Posts like this just beg for people to ask what's going on (and here's what your Facebook posts are really saying about your relationship). They're attention grabbing and annoying—and even more annoying when whoever posted it won't tell you what's going on.

Heads up: If your grandchild/grandmother/anyone else in your family is in the hospital, text or call your family members before you post it on Facebook. It's no fun feeling like the black sheep of the family who no one bothered to call during a family emergency. And by the way, same goes for engagements and all other major news—let your family know the old-fashioned way first. (And by old fashioned we mean phone, text, or email, of course.) (Make your Facebook obsession ridiculously healthy with these 3 tips.)

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